On Free Choice of the Will
In this dialogue with his friend Evodius, Augustine asks where evil comes from if God is good. He places moral evil in the will’s free turning from unchangeable goods toward changeable ones, argues for God’s existence from the mind’s grasp of truth, and defends the compatibility of divine foreknowledge with human freedom.
Understanding the text
Begun in Rome around 388 and completed in Africa by about 395, the dialogue belongs to his early writings against the Manichaeans. Pelagians later quoted it in their favour; in his Reconsiderations Augustine replied that it had not discussed grace because that was not its question.
Key points
- 01
Source of evil
Evil acts arise from disordered desire, when the will clings to temporal goods that can be lost against its will as if they were the highest good.
- 02
Ascent to truth
Book 2 rises from the bodily senses to an inner sense and to reason, then to unchangeable truths of number and wisdom that stand above the mind.
- 03
Foreknowledge
Book 3 argues that God’s knowing a choice in advance does not compel it, any more than remembering a past act caused that act.
Explore the ideas in depth
Freedom, evil and the will
Examine how On Free Choice of the Will links the origin of evil to the will and defends freedom against necessity.
Situating the text
Begun in Rome around 388 and completed in Africa by about 395, the dialogue belongs to his early writings against the Manichaeans. Pelagians later quoted it in their favour; in his Reconsiderations Augustine replied that it had not discussed grace because that was not its question. In this dialogue with his friend Evodius, Augustine asks where evil comes from if God is good. He places moral evil in the will’s free turning from unchangeable goods toward changeable ones, argues for God’s existence from the mind’s grasp of truth, and defends the compatibility of divine foreknowledge with human freedom.
Following the arguments
Source of evil : Evil acts arise from disordered desire, when the will clings to temporal goods that can be lost against its will as if they were the highest good. Ascent to truth : Book 2 rises from the bodily senses to an inner sense and to reason, then to unchangeable truths of number and wisdom that stand above the mind. Foreknowledge : Book 3 argues that God’s knowing a choice in advance does not compel it, any more than remembering a past act caused that act.
Continuing the reading
Read Book 1 for the problem of evil and Book 2 for the argument from truth, then compare Book 3 with what the Reconsiderations later say about grace. Begun in Rome around 388 and completed in Africa by about 395, the dialogue belongs to his early writings against the Manichaeans. Pelagians later quoted it in their favour; in his Reconsiderations Augustine replied that it had not discussed grace because that was not its question.
Questions to carry into your reading
- If God is good and all-knowing, who is responsible for an evil choice?
- Does knowing in advance that something will happen make it necessary?
Augustine locates evil in a misdirected will and argues that foreknowledge does not remove responsibility.
How to read it
Read Book 1 for the problem of evil and Book 2 for the argument from truth, then compare Book 3 with what the Reconsiderations later say about grace.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗